New York State Governor’s former deputy chief of staff, Sun Wen, was arrested on Tuesday (September 3), making it the latest case filed by the US Department of Justice against Chinese Communist agents and one that has garnered significant attention.
The case confirms that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is attempting to directly influence American politics according to its own interests, even at the lower levels of state government.
According to the Associated Press, Beijing considers cultivating relationships with American officials at the state level to be crucial and has always done so.
Since the 2010s, when the US and China established extensive regional ties, American governors have frequently visited China to promote trade and cultural connections.
In recent years, as US-China relations have become more confrontational, taking a tough stance against China has become a consensus among both political parties.
Based on a Gallup poll earlier this year, around 80% of Americans have a negative view of Communist China. Many Americans associate China with the COVID-19 pandemic, the fentanyl crisis, and economic struggles in the US.
Mareike Ohlberg, a senior researcher at the German Marshall Fund’s Asia-Pacific program, told the Associated Press that as federal-level relations with China deteriorate, the CCP is increasingly seeking penetration at the state level.
The CCP’s department responsible for overseas work is called the United Front Work Department, which controls many organizations or entities that engage with overseas Chinese through social or industry groups as a cover. The most well-known of these is the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, which is further subdivided into many smaller organizations.
These groups aim to establish members overseas and engage with overseas Chinese communities, with their branches spanning across the world from Africa to Southeast Asia to North America.
Willy Lam, a senior researcher at the Jamestown Foundation, stated that the CCP has long focused its efforts on major US cities and states with large Chinese populations, such as New York, New Jersey, and California.
He mentioned that CCP agents have been cooperating with well-established and increasingly “sophisticated” overseas Chinese associations and trade groups in these states.
According to official CCP media reports, Sun Wen had contact with Shi Qianping, who claimed to be a standing committee member of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. Shi also serves as the president of the United Chinese Association of Entrepreneurs in America.
Sun Wen also made contact with the Jiangsu branch of the federation.
Prosecutors have charged Sun Wen with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, acting on behalf of the CCP, visa fraud, conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals, and money laundering. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Associated Press reported that the Sun Wen case indicates that the CCP is aiming to bolster its influence on subtle levels, such as disseminating information that aligns with Beijing’s viewpoints.
Prosecutors alleged that before preparing to record a video wishing a happy Chinese New Year for Governor Huo Chu, Sun Wen sought advice from a CCP official and specifically removed prepared criticisms of the CCP’s persecution of human rights from the script.
Sun Wen also prevented representatives from the Taiwan government from meeting with New York state officials. The CCP claims Taiwan as part of its territory and views any interaction between Taiwan government representatives and US officials as an infringement on its sovereignty.
Moreover, Sun Wen secretly invited CCP officials to listen in on internal state government meetings discussing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and violence against Asian Americans. Sun Wen claimed to represent the Asian American community.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned 50 state governors in person as early as 2020 about the CCP’s infiltration within the United States.
“From PTA meetings, to local officials, to governors, the Chinese Communist Party has infiltrated our domestic life,” he cautioned, stating that “every American, especially our elected officials, must take this serious threat seriously.”
Pompeo also published a column in the New York Post on Thursday reiterating the need for US officials to understand the CCP.
“America will be safe only when we deal with China with an understanding of the CCP’s hostility toward American ideology and insist on transparency and reciprocity at its core,” he wrote.
The Associated Press reported that Audrye Wong, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, stated that the CCP government often likes to claim to represent all overseas Chinese and sometimes blurs the lines between legitimate cultural and community groups and infiltration activities.
She suggested that local governments should engage with Asian communities instead of relying on individuals as community liaisons as seen in the Sun Wen case.
Wong recommended that local governments should “truly engage at the local community level, working with legitimate organizations of Asian Americans to build infrastructure.”